Republicans push for constitutional amendment to dock lawmakers’ pay during government shutdowns

Rep. Ralph Norman, R-S.C., announced Tuesday that he has reintroduced a proposal for a constitutional amendment to dock federal lawmakers’ pay when there is a government shutdown.

“During shutdowns, federal workers are told to ‘do more with less.’ Meanwhile, Congress still cashes paychecks. That’s wrong.” Norman noted in a post on X. “I’ve reintroduced an Amendment to end Member pay during shutdowns. Zero. No back pay either!!”

The congressman thanked GOP Reps. Bob Latta of Ohio, Jack Bergman of Michigan, Eli Crane of Arizona, Cory Mills of Florida, Dusty Johnson of South Dakota, and John Joyce of Pennsylvania for cosponsoring the proposal.

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“Resolved by the Senate and House of Representatives of the United States of America in Congress assembled (two-thirds of each House concurring therein), That the following article is proposed as an amendment to the Constitution of the United States, which shall be valid to all intents and purposes as part of the Constitution when ratified by the legislatures of three-fourths of the several States within seven years after the date of its submission for ratification,” the joint resolution reads.

“A Representative or Senator may not receive compensation with respect to any period during which a Government shutdown is in effect. For purposes of this article, a Government shutdown shall be considered to be in effect if there is a lapse in appropriations for any Federal agency or department as a result of a failure to enact a regular appropriations bill or continuing resolution,” the text reads, adding that, “Congress shall have the power to enforce this article through appropriate legislation.”

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The nation now faces a partial government shutdown on Wednesday as Republicans and Democrats have been blaming each other in recent days while failing to strike an agreement to avert a funding lapse by the deadline.

“Members of Congress have a constitutional duty to fund the government’s essential functions,” Norman said, according to a press release. “If Congress fails to meet that obligation, we should not expect taxpayers to continue paying us for inaction. No one else in America would get paid for failing to fulfill their duties—Congress should face the same principle.”

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Norman is running for South Carolina governor.